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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO ELISHA B. CUTTEN, OF PITTSBURG, PA., ASSIGNOR TO THE ELEOTRIOAL AND MEGHANICAL DEVELOPING COMPANY, OF SAME PLAOE.

ELECTRIC HEAD-LIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321143, dated September 29. 1885.

(Ne model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern- Be it known that I, ELISHA B. CUTTEN, a British subject, residing at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Head-Lights, oi' which the following is a speeification.

My invention is designed nost especially for eleetrie head-lights for loconotives; but it is also applicable to head-lights i'or vessels and IO to other electric lights.

When an electrie light is used for the head light oi' a loeomotive, it has the important advantage that the light can be increased or diminished at will. For instanee in running I 5 over a crooked or dangerous part of the track the engineer can double or treble the illuniinating power of his head-light by turning on more steam to the auxiliary engine which drives the dynano, thus driving the latter faster and augnenting the clectric current through the lamp. This variation in the power of the light necessarily involves a like variation in the rate of Consumption of the carbons, and consequently an uncertainty as to `how long the carbons will last. As the engineer cannot see the earbons he has no means of judging oi' the rapidity of their consumption, and they are apt at times to burn out and leave him in darkness while he is running between stations, thns necessitating a stoppage to put in new earbons and entailing not only delay but frequently great danger. The same is partly true, but usually to a less extent, of eleetrie lights used for the head-lights 3 5 of ships, and often also for other purposes.

My invention seeks to obviate this incon- Venience and danger by providing an alarm which automatically operates at a certain time before the final burning out of the car- 40 bons, thusnotii'ying the engineer or attendant that the carbons are nearly consumed, and that he has approximately so many minutes in which to find opportunity to replace them with new ones. This alarm may be audible,

as a bell, or visible, as the dropping of a screen, or it may effeet the sense ol' feeling, as the transnission of an internittent eleetrie current through some part of the body; but I prefer the use of a bell to ring continuously after it is started untilthe carbons are renewed, or to ring eontinuonsly 'for a short interval,

then pause and ring again, each time more urgently than before.

Figur-e l of the acconpanying drawings shows ny invention as applied to a lanp of the Foucault type, wherein by feeding both carbons the arc is maintained at a constant position in the foeus of a reflector. Fig. 2 shows my iuvention as applied to a lanp ot' the Brush type, wherein only one earbon is fed to regulate the are, and the lat-ter eonsequently travels downward as the earbons consume. Fig. 3 is a fragnentary detail View of part of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4: is a diagran illustrating a further modification 01:' my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, let A designate the upper carbon, borne by a bracket on the sliding rod B, and'A" the lower carbon, borne by the rod B'. The rods B and B' are forned on their lower portions With rack-teeth, which are engaged by eonpensating gear-s C C', forming part of the regulating-traiu, the remainder of which is not shown because it is well known and forms no part of my iuven` tion.

D is the regulating electro-magnet. The current enters at binding-post a, traverses rod B, carbons A A and rod B', and passes thence through the magnet D to the binding-post b.

E is the usual parabolic reflector.

So far as described this lainp is old and well known, and may be replaced by any other construction of lamp which maintains a fixed are, so that it can be used with a refiector. Even this may not be essential for some uses.

On the bar B isa projecting flange or tooth, e, and in line with this are four (more or less) eontaet-springs, (l d. Of these the first or upper spring, d', is in position to be teuched by the projection c when the-lamp is se near to being burned out that it is desirable to notify the engineer. Say, for instance, that it is so placed that contact will be made about twenty minutes before the lanip will burn out. The second spring, diwill then be so placed that it will be touehed by the projection c when the lanp has about fifteen minutes yet to burn, and the third and fourth springs, (7, and (P, will be so placed that they will be touched, respeetively,aboutten and five minutes before the extinguishment of the light.

IOO

E, R and R are three resistance-coils. From springd' a wire, e', leads to the upper coil, and the eircuit thence tiaverses all three eoils and extends by a wire, f, to the alarmbell G. From the spring d a wire, c leads to the second coil, lt thus cutting out the first. From the spring d a wire, e, leads to the third coil, R thus cutting out both the first and second coils, and from the spring d* a wire, c'*, leads beyond the third coil and joins the wiref, thus cutting out all the coils. The bell G is simply an ordinary rheotomic bell for eoutinuous ringing, and requires no description. From it a wire, g, leads to the binding-post b. WVhen the lamp so nearly burns away that the projection c touches the first spring, d', a derivcd current passes from hinding-post a through rod B, spring d', wire c', coils lt' R R wire f, bell G, and wire q to the other binding-post, b. Owing to the high resistance of the three coils the derived current will be eeble, and will ring the alarm-bell G gentl y, although sutficiently loud to attract attention. This ringing will continue until the proj ection c passes beyond spring (W, or for perhaps a minute or two. Then when the projection touches spring (P the derived current will again fiow to the bell, and this time it will be stronger because the resistance of eoil R' is cut out, and consequently the bell will ring londer. WVhen spring d is touched, the derived current will be still stronger, the resistance of both coils R' and R being cut out, and the bell will consequently ring still londer; and when the spring d* is touched the derived current will be at its maximum, for all resistance-coils will be cut out and the bell will ring loud and urgently. Thus the bell will ring at intervals of about five minutes, and each time it will ring more urgently than before. The possibility of the engineer failing to hear the first alarm or forgetting thatit has sounded is thus provided against.

In the lamp shown in Fig. 2, wherein the lower ca'bon, A', is fixed, and the upper carbon, A, is carred by a rod, B, which passes n p through the box H, containing the regulating mechanism, a head or fiange, c, is fixed upon the upper end of the rod B. The usual tube surrounding theportion of this rod above the box H is onitted in thisfigureto show the parts more clearly. Around the rod B is coiled a Very light fiexible metallic spring, e, which may be wrapped with an insulating-covering to advantage. On the top of this spring is borno a ring, d, encircling the rod, but insulated from it, and at the bottom the spring is attached to an insulated metallic ring, l,whieh may rest on the box H, as shown, or on some other part. The preferred Construction of the rings d and h is shownin Fig. 3,each being a plain metallic ring set in a groove or channel in a ring, 'L', ofinsulating material. The metallie rings are thus insulated 011 all sides except on top. The ring d projects higher than its insulating-ring, so that when the rod B comes down until its head c touches this ring there shall be netallic contact between them. The spring c is electrically connected at its opposite ends to the two rings (Z and Iz and a wire, f, leads from the ring l to the rhcotomic bell G, whenee another wire, g, leads to the binding-post b. The spring c holds the ring Ll at such a height that it will be touched by the head c When the alarm is dcsired to be giVen-say, for instance, fii'teen minutes before the carbons burn out. takes place, a derived current flows from binding-post a to rod B, up rod B to head c, and through ring (Z, spring c, ring 71 wire f, .rhcotomic magnet of bell G, and wire g to bindingpost Z). Thus the alarm is rung, and it will continue ringing until the carbons are renewed. The spring c is compressed as the rod B descends, and it is so light that its tension does not perceptibly atteet the arc.

My invention may be applied in many ditferent ways, of which the two methods illustrated will serve as examples, and I do not wish to confine myself to any precise construction or arrangenient ot' parts to attain the desired result. Among other possible modifieations I may mention that, instead of ringing the bell by a dcrived current diverted from the lanp-circuit, a separate eircuit may be provided the current in which is supplied by a battery. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 4, where P is the battery, G the rheotomic alarm, lt a resistance-coil, d (t contactsprings,and 8 8 contact-stops. The projection c on the carbon-holding rod B lirst deprcsses spring d' into contact with stem s', thus closing the battery-circuit through the coil lt. hen the projection depresses spring (2 into contact with .stop s' it eloses the battery-circuit outside o't' the coil, thus ringing the alarm more loudly.

I claim as my iuvention 1. The conhination, with an electricare lamp, of an electrically-operated alarm, an electric eircuit extending thcnee to the lamp, and a circuit-manipulating device operated by the carbon-holder ot' the lamp, whereby the alarm is autonatically put in operation at a predetermined time bel'ore the Consumption of the carbons, substantially as set l'orth.

2. The combination, with an electricarc lanp, of a eircuit-Closer in connection therewith and adapted to be operated by the movenent of the carbonholding rod when the carbons are nearly eonsumed, an elcctric circuitin connection therewith, and a rheotomic alarm-bell in said eircuit, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with an electricarc light, of a partial eircuit connecting with one of the terminals of the lamp and its other end terminating in a circuit-closing contact, and a conducting projeetion on the carbon-holding rod ot' the lamp adapted to touch said contact when the rod descends to a prcdetermined point, and thcreby pass a derived current hen this contact IOO IIO

from the lamp through said cil-enit, and an electric magnetc alarm-bell in said partial circuit, substantally as set forth.

4. The cembination, With an elect'icare lamp, ofa derved circuit couneeting at one end to one terminal of the lam p and its other end divided into several branehes, each termnatng in a contact, aconducting projection on the carbon-holcling rod adaptecl to touch said contacts in succession as 't deseends, a

series of resistanees in said branehes, greatest :in that first touched and less in each successive braneh, and a rheotome alarm-bell in i witnesses.

said derved eireut, substantially as set forth, Whereby said bell is rung at intervals when- I 5 ever the e'cnit is closed through any of said hranches, and each time its alarm is londer and mere urgent than before.

In Wit-ness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing 20 ELISHA B. CUTTEN.

Vitnesses:

Umm; O. LEE,

EMMETT E. COTTON. 

